


Like No One Ever Was

by Strange_Soulmates



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Harry is the daycare man, M/M, Tom Riddle is a smitten disaster, Tom's pokemon like Harry more than their trainer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 06:11:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12126252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strange_Soulmates/pseuds/Strange_Soulmates
Summary: Tom Riddle has worked all his life towards becoming Pokemon Champion.  After earning his eighth badge, he decides to try his hand at breeding before challenging the Pokemon League.  But once he meets the daycare man, his goal shift drastically.  It turned out there's something he wants more than being Champion - a date with Harry Potter.





	Like No One Ever Was

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RenderedReversed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenderedReversed/gifts).



> To those of you who don't know, RenderedReversed is an amazing writer. She's one of the first author's I read, and a big part of the reason I decided to join the tomarry fandom. If you enjoy my stuff, I'm sure you'll like hers too, because she is fantastic.
> 
> Rere, you are the best. I hope this fic brings you some joy on your birthday, and know that you are a fantastic author, friend, and person. So, happy birthday, Rere! I hope you like your present.

Tom stared down at the pokeball in front of him in shock.

He'd done it.  After months of research, traversing the region over and over looking for any signs of the pokemon in question, weeks of careful searching, most of it in vain, he'd finally done it.  He'd caught a Snidget.

Walking across the grass, Tom bent down and picked the pokeball up, staring at it reverently.  At last.  At  _ _last__.

Tom tucked the ball into his belt with care, making certain it was firmly attached before removing another of his pokeballs, releasing the pokemon within with a causual toss.

The small stream of red light soon solidified into a magestic pokemon, one about the size of a Rapidash.  This horse, however, bore almost no resemblance to the elegant fire pokemon.  With it's black skin, white eyes, skeletal appearance, and reptilian face, no one would mistake a Thestral for any other equestrian pokemon.  Even from a distance, the great, membraned wings set it apart.

Thestrals had a long history of being feared in the Avalon region.  People thought them to be omens of bad fortune and death.  Likely because of their pecular ability.  Only those who had seen death could see a Thestral.

It was the perfect pokemon, as far as Tom was concerned.  Flying and Ghost type, most pokemon could not even see it.  And you couldn't hit what you could not see.  Thestrals were powerful, capable of long flights in insignificant amounts of time, and they brought that same power with them to the battlefield.  Not to mention the terror it struck in his opponents to see a pokemon out of their nightmares in the flesh.

The Thestral was the second pokemon Tom had ever caught, and it had been a loyal companion these last seven years.   Voldemort, he'd named it.  Flight of death.  It had seemed perfect at the time, and Tom had only grown more certain of his choice in the time since.

The pokemon took one look at him, glancing at the area around them in excitement before dropping somewhat.  Under other circumstance, Tom would have scoffed, but he could hardly blame the bird.  Tom knew exactly how it felt.

"I caught it," Tom said simply.

Voldemort perked up at once, cocking it's head to the side as if it couldn't quite believe the news.

"I caught the Snidget," Tom told him.   "We can go now."

Voldemort fluttered his wings in excitement, letting out a happy whinny before butting Tom in the stomach with his head, nearly toppling him over.  Tom rolled his eyes, but he reached down and gave it a reassuring pat or two before pulling away.

"You're wasting time," Tom told Voldemort.  "I don't know about you, but I, for one, am eager to be gone."

Voldmort let out an affronted huff before turning and offing Tom his side.  With the ease of practice, Tom climbed aboard, situating himself firmly on the pokemon's back, his knees just behind the joints of it's wing.  Once he was certain he was settled, he gently tapped his right foot against his pokemon's withers.

Tom could feel the powerful muscles coiling beneath him, the wings to either side of him beginning to flap.  One moment, two, and then the pokemon lauched itself upwards, wings catching the wind and carrying them both aloft.

Their destination was on the other side of the Avalon region, but the trip seemed to take no time at all.  Tom had raised his pokemon well, after all, and Voldemort could travel great distances in very short amounts of time.  That time grew even shorter when Voldemort was motivated.  It felt like only a handful of minutes had passed before they began to spiral down towards the earth once more.

Ottery St. Catchpole was a small village on route fifteen, one Tom had somehow managed to miss entirely in his travels.  Since he'd received his eighth gym badge, however, it seemed as if he practically lived in the small town.

It was the building in front of him that had Tom coming back time and Tom again.  The house bore proof of the numerous expansions, slightly haphazard, perhaps, but it held it's own unique kind of charm.  The garden was full of overgrown flowers and tall grass.  Not due to lack of care, but in order to provide a better environment for the pokemon who lived in the area, both wild and those raised by trainers.

There was a wooden fence that surrounded the property, one that had wood of various ages.  Repaired time and time again due to rambunctious charges, Tom was certain.

Haven Sanctuary and Boarding.  Tom had tried five other day-care establishments before he'd finally found them, and he'd know from the moment he'd set foot inside that it was exactly what he had been looking for.

Haven was owned and operated by a Charlie Weasley, a former pokemon ranger.  At some point, Weasley had decided to transition from working on a preserve to operating a true pokemon sanctuary.  The proceeds from the daycare business helped to cover the costs of the sanctuary.  The adoption fees from those pokemon who chose trainers who came to visit or hatched from eggs trainers had refused to claim.

None of that was the reason Tom kept coming back.

"Tom!" a voice called from the other side of the wooden fence, a figure rounding the corner of the house to come into view.

He was tall, standing only a few inches shorter than Tom.  The muscles of his arms made it clear that he was an athletic man, and his skin made it clear he spent much of his time out in the sun.  His hair was an inky black, and Tom, as always, had to fight the urge to reach out and see if it would be as soft as it looked.  It was in even more disarray than usual, and Tom caught himself wondering if he'd had a pokemon nesting in it.  His eyes were the same color as Nagini's scales, a rich green, and filled with warmth.  There was a smile on his handsome face, and it almost hurt Tom to look at.

"Harry," Tom said, and he knew, he just  _knew_  there was an idiotic smile on his face.

Tom had ben smitten from the first time he'd seen him.  The more time he spent with Harry, the worse it grew.  Harry was not just handsome and fit, but gentle and kind.  He loved pokemon and they returned his affection tenfold.  Even Nagini adored him, and Tom's Serperior hated most humans aside from Tom himself.

Nagini had been with him since the very beginning.  Tom had been orphaned shortly after his birth, and had spent years in an orphanage in Londinum, the biggest city in the Avalon region.  Tom hated the orphanage and spent as little time within it's walls as possible.  When not in school, Tom would wander the streets, observing the trainers battling on the street.  Battling, Tom knew, would be his way out.  His way to fame, to glory.  Tom was going to be the most powerful trainer in all of Avalon.

Tom was wandering some of the seeder streets after school one day when a pile of garbage pushed up against the side of the wall began to tremble.  Tom had turned on it at once, ready to sprint off at a moment's notice if needed.  The city was filled with wild pokemon. Most of them were more than used to living amongst humans, but some of them were aggressive.  Without a pokemon of his own, Tom would have no choice but to run towards a more crowded area.  He  _hated_  it, but he had no choice in the matter.  Not until he was old enough to get a pokemon license, which was still two years off.

The trash shifted again, and a small green head poked out above the rubbish.

A snivy, Tom recognized.  A pokemon not local to the Avalon region.  One that looked incredibly young.  There was no danger, not for a pokemon who was only a few months old.  The worst it could do was tackle him.

Tom approached the pokemon slowly, being sure to avert his eyes.  Staring was a sign of aggression as far as pokemon were concerned. When he was only a few feet away, Tom sank down onto the ground and held out his hand.

It took more time than he would have liked, but the snivy did come out and sniff it eventually, though it refused to allow him to pet it.  It was a beautiful pokemon, it's back emerald, it's stomach so pale it was nearly white.  The gold that surrounded the eyes only served to accentuate their bright red color.  Tom had no idea how long he sat there, staring at the snivy, but it was dark by the time he finally tore himself away.

He came back the next day, stolen pokemon beans in his pocket.  The snivy was waiting where he'd found it the day before, and took the beans from him eagerly.  Tom couldn't help but grin at the way it would dart forward, snatch a bean, and then retreat back towards the wall of the alleyway to consume its prize.

Each time he left the snivy undisturbed, it grew bolder and bolder, staying closer and closer as it consumed its food.  By the time the last pokebean was gone, the little pokemon was still standing in front of his palm.  It looked at his empty hand, then up at him, then chittered indignantly.

"I'm sorry," Tom told the pokemon, "I don't have any more.  I'll bring some tomorrow, though."

The snivy gave him a dark look, making its displeasure clear.

Tom had thought that, now that the food was gone, the snivy would retreat once more into the small nest it had made itself out of newspaper.  To his surprise, instead of scurrying away, the snivy ducked under his hand and crawled into his lap, giving him a demanded look when he just gaped at it in surprise.  It had butted its head against his hand in a clear command, and Tom had done as he was told, petting the small pokemon.

That had been that.  Nagini had decided he was her person, and wouldn't consider another word about the subject.  They had been together ever since.  She was his first friend and his oldest companion, and he loved her dearly.

Nagini hated trainers.  She hated them with a passion.  After all, it was a trainer who had so cruelly tossed her aside so shortly after she had been born.  Whenever they encountered them during their travels, she would be cold and standoffish, glaring at them and occasionally growling if they came too close.

Yet within moment of meeting her, Harry had charmed her completely.

Tom had been touring various day care facilities, attempting to find something Nagini would tolerate.  Harry had done something none of the others had, however.  He had focused on the pokemon, rather than the trainer.

"May I see her?" Harry asked once Tom had explained what had brought him to Haven.

Tom handed the pokeball over without a second thought, eager to impress Harry.  Nagini was a rare pokemon in this region, and Tom had done an excellent job raising her, something he was sure a man who worked at a pokemon daycare would notice and appreciate.

Harry pushed the button on the pokeball and released Nagini, who soon appeared, making the large, comfortable waiting room seem small and cramped.  She took one look around them and reared back, clearly ready to cause damage.  Before Tom could reach her, however, Harry was there, staring up at Nagini, his eyes wide with wonder.

"You're beautiful," Harry said, his voice filled with awe.  "Oh, Nagini, you're so  _beautiful."_

Nagini slowly lowered her tail, which she had clearly raised with the intent to destroy something.  She peered down at Harry with curious eyes, which Tom found alarming.

Nagini hated trainers.  She hated them with a passion.  After all, it was a trainer who had so cruelly tossed her aside so shortly after she had been born.  Whenever they encountered them during their travels, she would be cold and standoffish, glaring at them and occasionally growling if they came too close.

Never had she been curious before.

"Would you mind?" Harry asked, holding up his hand.

"She doesn't really like people," Tom said.

The last thing he wanted was for Nagini to bite the man.  Tom seriously doubted he'd even be given the time of day if his pokemon attacked Harry.

"I wasn't asking you," Harry said offhand to Tom over his shoulder.  "I was asking her."

If Tom had to go back and pinpoint the moment he was doomed, he probably would choose this one.

Nagini reared back slightly in surprise, a pleased look in her eyes.  It seemed that most people remembered that pokemon were intelligent only when it suited them.  Tom didn't think anyone but him had ever addressed Nagini directly.  She lowered her massive head in answer, and Harry began petting the top of it reverently.

"You really are gorgeous," Harry told her.  "Oh, just  _look_  at you," he said, running a hand down her neck, staring at her in awe.  "I'm certain pictures don't do Serperiors in general justice, but you are so  _regal_.  I've no doubt that you're head and shoulders above the rest."

Nagini looked down at Harry with warm eyes, and Tom knew it would only take a few more compliments that sincere to earn her undying affection.

It had taken much less than that to earn Tom's.  Tom wasn't even certain when exactly that day he'd become insnared.  He'd been smitten within moments, and had wanted Harry since the first time he'd seen him.  That had been more than enough to deal with.  But by the time the tour was finished, Tom had managed to fall head over hells in love.

He'd spent the last three months torturing himself, trying to find a way to win the heart of the beautiful, kindhearted man in front of him.

Tom's hand tightened around the pokeball in his belt.  Finally.  Finally, he had found a way.  A way to communicate his feeling with Harry.  One he was certain the other man would understand.

"I have exciting news!" Harry said before Tom had the chance to speak, a wide smile on his face.  "An egg!  Finally!  Nagini had an egg!  I was going to call you, but I got too excited.  But you're here, so I can tell you!  Come see!"

Tom wasted no time in vaulting over the fence, any frustration at having his advances stalled  _again_ quickly lost in the excitement of the moment.

An egg.  Nagini had an egg.

Harry sprinted through the grass, Tom right behind him.   The outdoor facilities were impressive.  Acres of land.  Short grasses, bushes, flowers, copses of berry trees.  There was a large, artificial lake at one end of the property, surrounded by reeds.  Large piles of rocks gathered together, creating small crevices and caves.  Even a small, artificial dessert.

Still, Tom paid them no mind.  Not now.  He had more important things to focus on.

Nagini.  Nagini had had an egg.

He'd had a hell of a time convincing her in the first place.

* * *

"Nagini," Tom began cautiously, "I've decided that I would like to breed a pokemon."

Nagini looked up at him, no doubt waiting to hear exactly how this involved her.  She was more than a little self-centered.  Still, there was a cautious cast to her eyes, one he could not blame her for in the least.

"There are a few strategic holes in our team.  Holes I that need to be filled.  Diversifying the moveset of the party is the best way to accomplish that."

Tom took a deep breath.

"Nagini," he said simply, "I know that any pokemon to be strong enough to be a worthy addition to our party must have your blood in it's veins."

She reared up at once, hissing.  Tom had expected this reaction, and merely waited for the fit of temper to pass.  Nagini had every right to be outraged.  Tom was well aware of her history.  Nagini had been bred by a trainer herself.  One who had apparently been looking for some particular combination of stats.  Nagini hadn't met the bill, and as a result had been literally thrown away as if she were a piece of garbage.

Tom reached out and gripped her massive head between both his hands, holding on through her determined attempts to throw him off.

"Nagini.  Nagini!  Listen to me!" Tom ordered.

Nagini hesitated for a moment, but her thrashing stopped, instead fixing him with a glare that would have paralyzed any pokemon.  Still, Tom was made of sterner stuff, and he'd become to Nagini's glares long ago.

"I am not that idiot who abandoned you," Tom said staring directly at her.  "I'm not him.  When have I ever case aside a pokemon for not being strong enough?"

Nagini's glare didn't soften, but the thrashing of her tail slowed somewhat.

"Never," Tom said simply.  "I have  _never_  cast aside a pokemon."

Tom had experienced more than enough of that in his life.  He refused to do it to any of his pokemon.  No, if Tom met a pokemon who was weak, he simply trained them until they were strong.  Not just strong, but powerful.  Pokemon were useful, it was true, and he trained them to be strong, but they were not tools.  Treating them as such would make them hate you.  Respect and affection made for much better battlers.

"I promise you," Tom said, staring at her intently.  "Nagini, I  _swear_  to you that I will never,  _never_  treat your children the way you were treated.  I will raise them myself, or, when I can't give them the attention they deserve, I will ensure that they are given to trainers to who will care for them properly.  Trainer that  _you_  will select."

Nagini gave him a look, but her tail had stopped thrashing.  Instead of angry, as it had been before, it was suspicious.

"I promise," Tom said, sensing her hesitation.  "Nagini, I promise.  You'll be the one to choose."

She settled somewhat, her gaze turning from suspicious to haughty.  Tom rolled his eyes, fighting off a smile of relief.

"Yes, you ridiculous snobbish thing.  You'll be able to pick the dare facility we use."

Nagini sniffed hautily once more before she settled her head back in his lap before giving him a speaking look.  With a roll of his eyes and a smile on his face, he gave in to her demands and began to scratch her once again.

* * *

Tom's heart was fluttering in his chest, excitement coursing through his veins.  When he'd begun this exercise, it had simply been to prove to himself that he could. That he was an excellent trainer who was capable of not just battling but breeding as well.  But the egg was more than that now.  Tom adored Nagini, and he was certain that he would love her child just as much.  Tom...he wanted to watch the little snivy's eyes open for the first time.  Wanted to watch Nagini and her child together.  Wanted to raise the snivy with all the love and care that Nagini should have received from the start.

Tom hadn't even met the pokemon, and he was half in love with it already.  He knew he would adore it.  How could he not?

The two burst into the house, darting through the hallways and sprinting up the stairs until Harry skidded suddenly to a stop just before one of the doorways.  Tom managed to catch himself just quickly enough to keep from barreling into Harry, no doubt knocking them both to the ground, and silently cursed his reflexes.   All such thoughts faded when he caught sight of the look of wonder on Harry's face.

Harry gestured Tom closer, and Tom placed his hands on the doorframe before leaning over to peer into the room inside.

It was one of the indoor bedrooms, the walls painted to look exactly like a forest, and Tom could have sworn the carpet under his feet was actually grass.  There were flowers everywhere, and a breeze circulated through the room.  Pokedolls were scattered across the floor, but what had captured Tom's attention was the pokemon cushion in the center of the room.

Atop the cushion, Nagini was wound around herself, clearly exhausted but her red eyes filled with joy.  In the center of her coils was an egg.

"Oh, Nagini," Tom said, walking into the room.  "You've done so well, my girl.  So well."

Nagini let out a tired noise of happiness, leaning forward enough that Tom began to scratch at her head, rubbing the spots he knew she loved most.  He was rewarded for his efforts with a rumble of satisfaction.

A moment later another hand joined him, and Nagini preened even more under Harry's efforts.

"Motherhood suits you, Nagini," Harry said with a wide smile, earning himself a rumble of his own.  "Now, may I examine your egg?"

Nagini tightened her coils reflexively, casting a wary glance at Harry for the first time since right after the two had met.  

"Nagini," Tom said gently.  "It's Harry.  He isn't going to take your egg, love.  He just wants to make sure that your baby is alright.  You trust Harry, don't you?"

"It's alright," Harry said with a smile that didn't hide his disappointment.  "Nesting mothers are very territorial.  I can check on the egg later, once she's a little more comfortable around me again."

Taking a long look at Harry's face, Nagini slowly unwound her coils before noising the egg in Harry's direction.

Harry looked between Nagini and the egg, his eyes shining.

"Thank you," he said, his voice full of emotion.  "Thank you, Nagini."

Her only response was to give him a headbutt, and Harry laughed as he staggered back somewhat.  Clearly Nagini was even more exhausted than Tom had thought.  Normally such a "nudge" would have left Harry sprawling on the floor.

Harry reached out and slowly took the egg, holding it so that Nagini could peer over his shoulder as he began his examination.  He examined the shell, telling Nagini he was looking at it's shape and coloring.  It was perfect, he told her, but there was a good chance it was a color varient, from the slightly blue tint to the spots on the shell, insttead of the usual green.  Harry tapped the shell, examining it's hardness, and then held it up to his ear before returning it to Nagini who quickly wrapped herself around it once again.

"It's a perfectly healthy egg," he assured them both.  "Still a long way off from hatching, but perfectly healthy."

Harry turned to Tom.

"Given Nagini's attitude in general, I wouldn't be surprise if she became fed up with nesting within the next few days.  It's very common with Serperiors, and given Nagini's temperament, I think she'll be a little quicker than most to leave the egg on it's own."

Tom just stared at Harry.  Honestly, he hadn't thought much about what would happen once the egg had been laid.  He'd been too fixated on getting the egg itself to think about what would happen next.

"Pokemon eggs need to be around other pokemon to hatch," Harry told him.  "Honestly, the best enviornment for it would be with you, but I know you're planning on challenging the league soon.  And as far as the offical rules are concerned, for all that you can't enter it into battle, an egg counts towards your six pokemon."

Tom reached up and rubbed at his temples.  The breeding was supposed to be the difficult part.  Things were supposed to be simple now that that was behind them.  Instead, it sounded as if the complications were only just beginning.

"What are my options?" Tom asked.  "I just...I hadn't thought about much beyond the egg."

Harry gave him a kind smile.

"Don't worry about it.  That's true of many trainers their first time breeding," Harry replied.  "Now, for the strongest bond between you and your pokemon, you're going to want to be there when it's born.  I'm certain you've heard of imprinting."

Tom nodded.  The phenomenon had come up more than a few times in his reading.  A pokemon formed an almost unbreakable bond with the first creature it saw, a leftover survival mechanism from when pokemon had lived solely in the wild.  The strongests bond between trainer and pokemon were build on the foundation of imprinting.

"Well, if you want the bond to be as strong as possible, then you need to be there when the pokemon hatches," Harry told him seriously.  "If time is a concern, there are certain pokemon who, if you carry them in your party, will help the egg be ready to hatch that much faster.  There are certain fire types who love to roost, and if they have the flame body ability, it cuts the time an egg needs to hatch in half."

Tom bit his lip.  He had promised Nagini that he would care for her eggs personally, would make certain that they were raised with love and care.  That she could rear them herself.  But the Pokemon league opened for challengers in a week, and Tom knew it would take at least that long to navigate through Victory Road.  The league would only be open for a month before it closed again so that the Champion would be able to tend to his duties.  Tom could battle the Elite Four year round to earn his chance to battle the champion, but the opportunity for the match itself wouldn't come up again for at least six months.

If Tom needed to take time to train, if needed to challenge the Elite Four more than once - a month was not a great deal of time.  Losing god only knew how much of it to tending to an egg was not an easy thought to stomach.

"What are the other options?" Tom asked.

"We could keep the egg for you here," Harry answered.  "It wouldn't hatch as quickly as it would if you were carrying it with you, but being around other pokemon is really all it takes. It would be much slower and there's a good chance you'd miss the moment when the egg hatched."

"In theory, you could store the egg in the PC until you were ready to hatch it," Harry said.

Tom could tell from his expression exactly what Harry thought of that option.  Harry wasn't a great fan of the PC system.  Oh, he thought the pokemon teleporting abilities were wonderful, and agreed that it was good for a trainer to have easy access to all their pokeballs.  But he had admitted to Tom that he had concerns about what it was like for the pokemon inside the system.  What did they actually experience?  All the answers he'd received had been unsatisfactory, and it left him very suspicious of the system.

Tom shook his head.  He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize even the possibility of a chance with Harry.  Putting an egg in a PC box was a surefire way to ensure that Harry never even gave him the time of day.

"The other option is you could leave it here with us," Harry said.  "Give the pokemon to Haven.  We'd try to place it just like any of our other pokemon."

Tom rubbed at his temples, genuinely torn.  He'd spent eight years working towards the goal of becoming the pokemon champion.  His goal was  _ _finally__ within his grasp, and he was loath to come this close only to delay.  But in the face of eight years, surely six months was not so great a burden?

"Nagini," Tom said at last.  "I'll let Nagini decide."

The words felt right as soon as they had been spoken.  After all, it was his promise to Nagini that had him hesitating.  Let her decide how she wished him to keep it.

Tension Tom hadn't even noticed bled out of Harry's frame, and he gave Tom a sincere smile.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Tom," Harry said, reaching over and giving Tom's hand an encouraging squeeze.  "I wish more trainers were as considerate as you."

Tom had to fight the urge to snort.  He wasn't being considerate.  He was just scared of his own pokemon. Nagini was nearly as headstrong as her trainer, and a bloody terror when she was in a mood.  No, this was not an emotional decision, but a practical one.

Still, if Harry wasnted to see good intentions where none had been, Tom wasn't going to stop him.

Tom glanced down at Nagini and sighed when he saw that she was deeply asleep.  Exausted, no doubt.  Tom wouldn't wake her.  He didn't want to be on the wrong end of her leaf blade, after all.

"I'll ask her in the morning," Tom said.

Harry offered him a room at Haven, and Tom accepted.  He freed his pokemon from the confines of their pokeballs once he had his things situated.  There was plenty of space, and they'd worked hard for him during his search.  He might as well reward them with a reminder of exactly why they had searched so far and wide.

The sight of Harry burried underneath all of his pokemon had Tom smiling.  A soft, warm smile.  One he hadn't realized he was capable of before he'd met the daycare man.

It had bothered him, at first.  That all his pokemon, every single one, preferred Harry to him.  Still, he couldn't exactly blame them.  Harry was impossible not to like.

Now, seeing them all together brought him nothing but contendedness.  Watching them all was a tantilizing promise of what could be.  What a future with Harry at his side might look like.

It was a future Tom wanted to explore more than anything.

Tomorrow, he promised him down, staring down at the one pokeball that was not empty.  He would tell Harry tomorrow.

He woke early the next day and found himself beneath a pile of pokemon.  He rolled his eyes and grutned in frustration as he worked himself out from beneath their massive bulk.  This was why he didn't let them out like this often.  Escaping was far too inconvient.

After breakfast, he returned them all to their pokeballs. Regardless of Nagini's decision, he doubted they would be lingering.  If Harry rejected him, Tom would need time to lick his wounds.  Perhaps a decade or two.

When he and Harry went up to Nagini's room, it was a very different sight that had greeted them.  Nagini was still curled on the cushion, but the egg was no longer with her.  She had pushed it out of the small nest she'd made for herself, leaving it abandoned on the other side of the room.

"Well," Harry said with a sigh.  "I suppose that answers that question."

He crossed the room to retrieve the egg, only to have his path blocked by a hissing Nagini, red eyes alight with a familiar ferocity.

Harry stepped back at once and she drew back, though she didn't return to her position on the cushion.  Instead she sat on the floor, her body poised to attack at the slightest provocation.

"Contrary little brat," Tom said, and he was mortified to find that his voice was more amused than annoyed.

She sniffed at him, eyeing him suspicously, and Tom rolled his eyes before reaching into his belt and pulling out the pokebeans.

"It's me, you idiot," Tom said, holding the bean out to her the way he had when she was still a small snivy.

She took it exactly the same way she had then, darting forward to grab the bean before retreating to eat it, eyeing them both warily the entire time.  She seemed to snap out of whatever it was that had come over her and slithered over to Tom's side before wrapping herself around him in greeting.

Tom gave her pets and stratches and the few pokebeans he had left in his belt before he was in a position to finally have the unreasponable spoiled brat of a pokemon listen to him.

"Nagini," Tom asked her seriously, "what do you want to do with your egg?"

She stared at him for a long moment before her red eyes went to the egg.  After a moment's consideration, her red eyes more serious than Tom had ever seen them outside the battlefield, Nagini slithered over to where the egg sat abandoned on the ground.  Reaching down, she gently pushed it with her nose until it had rolled to Harry's feet.

That accomplished, she wrapper herself around Tom, nuzzling him briefly before pushing the button on the pokeball that belonged to her, disappearing inside with a flash of red light.

Harry stared down at the egg at his feet, stunned into silence.

"Go on," Tom encouraged him, noting the way Harry, for all that he had spend his life raising pokemon, seemed terrified of handling the egg.

Harry bent down and picked it, cradling it tightly to his chest, his green eyes unusually bright.

"I...I don't... Tom, are you sure?" Harry asked.

Still, for all that he was trying to pretend otherwise, it was obvious to Tom that Harry didn't want to part with the egg.  He held it close to his body, and his eyes were glued to the shell, as if he couldn't bring himself to look away.

"Nagini is sure," Tom said, reaching out to place a hand on Harry's shoulder.  "And there is no one in the world I would trust with that pokemon more than you."

Harry walked beside Tom, clearly dazed as Tom lead them downstairs and to the front of the facility.  He reached into his bag and pulled out his bike, and it was this that seemed to snap Harry out of it.

"But I...I don't have any pokemon," Harry said.  "How...how will I hatch the egg?"

"Harry," Tom said gently, daring to reach out to tuck a wisp of black hair behind Harry's ear.  "You're surrounded by pokemon every day.  I'm sure you'll manage."

Still, it was an opening too perfect to pass up.

"Beside, I think I have a solution," Tom said, reaching down to his belt and pulling out the pokeball before passing it over to Harry, being sure to give the man enough time to reposition the egg.

"Tom?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed.

"A gift," Tom said simply.  "A thank you for everything you've done."

"For your pokemon," Harry said, a tone of resignation in his voice.

"For me," Tom replied.

Harry looked at him with wide eyes, his cheeks dusted pink before he looked down at the pokeball in his hands.  He reached out and pushed it with his thumb, the red light shooting out and solidifying into a small golden ball, it's movements so fast as it darted about in the air that Tom couldn't follow it, no matter how hard he tried.

It was part of what made the damn things so impossible to catch.

"A Snidget," Harry said, his eyes wide with wonder.  After staring at the small bird pokemon, he turned to Tom with a look of utter disbelief.  "You...you caught me a Snidget?"

"You said they were your favorite," Tom pointed out fighting off his embarrassment.

"They are," Harry said, turning to face the small bird once again, holding out his hand hopefully.  The Snidget fluttered around curiously before alighting on Harry's finger, and Harry let out a small gasp, his face lit with childlike wonder.  "I just...I never thought I'd see one.  Only a handful of people alive today have.  It's been so long that most people think they're extinct."

Harry turned to Tom, radiating happiness and incredulity like nothing he'd ever seen.

"Tom...where did you... _how_ did you...why?" Harry settled on at last.

"Because I would do anything to see you smile," Tom answered, watching the way Harry's eyes widened in shock, his face turning even redder.

"But you're a real trainer!  You have eight badges!  You're going to be champion one day!  You're handsome and smart and kind for all that you try to hide it.  You could have  _anyone_.  I...I'm nobody.  I'm just Harry."

Tom dropped his bike and reached forward, gently take the egg from Harry's hand before setting it gingerly on the grass beside them.  As soon as he was certain it was safe and out of the way, Tom reached up and cupped Harry's face in both his hands.

"You, Harry Potter," Tom told him seriously, "are not  _just_ anything.  You deserve the very best.  And I'm going to ensure that you get it."

And with that he leaned forward and kissed Harry as he had been dreaming about for so many months.

It was nothing like Tom had imagined it to be.  No, it was so much better.  Harry pressed up against him, warm and responsive.  He tasted just as sweet as he smelled, and the way he kissed back had Tom seeing stars.  Or perhaps that was the Snidget flying around them, whistling happily.  It was hard to be sure.

"You'll come back, won't you?" Harry asked, staring up at him with desperate eyes when Tom pulled away.  "I mean...you're serious, right?"

Tom smiled down at him, brushing Harry's hair back, reveling in the ability to do so.

"Of course I'll back. What else could I do, when I'm leaving my heart here with you?"

Harry gaped at him, and the two spent several long minutes that stretched into a quarter of an hour bidding each other goodbye properly before Tom mounted his bike.

"I'm serious about you, Harry," Tom said.  "I've never been more serious about anything in my life.  And I'm going to prove it to you."

"Prove...how?"

"I'm going to become the Champion," Tom said.  "I'm going to beat the Elite Four, and defeat the man whose held the title for more than ten years now, all so I can go on a date with you."

Harry sputtered at him in surprise.

"Tom!" Harry exclaimed, coming over to grab the handle bars of his bike.  "You...you don't need to do anything like that!"

"Yes I do," Tom answered simply.  "Because you, Harry Potter, deserve nothing but the very best.  So that's what I'm going to become."

Tom leaned forward to kiss him one last time before pulling away, riding off towards Victory Road.  He turned back just in time to see Harry's wave, and hear his delighted laughter on the wind.


End file.
